Meet Kara Avelino | Owner and Photographer of Texas Takes Real Estate Photography

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kara Avelino and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kara, how do you think about risk?
I knew starting my real estate photography business was going to be a huge risk, because it’s up to me and how I run it that will determine if it becomes viable or not. However, the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my life was in 2020 when I made the difficult, yet liberating, decision to leave my active-duty military career in conjunction with starting this business. I was coming upon my eighth year in the U.S. Army and had just turned 30 years old. I like to say I was having my “one-third life crisis.” I was stationed at Fort Hood, TX and had attained the rank of Captain in the Signal Corps when I realized I was burned-out and not particularly passionate about what I was doing. I constantly found myself daydreaming at my desk about running my own business. I felt stagnant and felt a need to find a career where I could do what I loved every day. I knew in order to keep my mental health intact I had to make a change and follow that calling. So, I submitted my resignation packet on what was supposed to be my 20-year career. I took a risk – I gave up job security, financial stability, medical coverage, and retirement benefits. I traded all this in for time to slow down and freedom to explore that entrepreneurial spirit. In June of 2021, I served my last day in the Army, and first day as a business owner and photographer. It felt like the floor was taken right out from under my feet and I was somehow staying aloft; much like that feeling, some of you may remember, of the first time flying in and airplane. It was both terrifying and exciting!

I essentially made that risk in part to obtain a healthy work-life balance. It was actually a mutual reason for my husband and I both in making the difficult decision to leave the military. Between deployments, month-long field training exercises, and misaligned assignment locations, we hardly lived under the same roof since getting married. During my 9-month deployment rotation to South Korea I found myself in a moment of deep inward reflection. That’s when it was like I’d blinked and suddenly realized my 20’s were almost over. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my time in the military and being able to serve, however, I had become so consumed by a profession I was not passionate about. It was like I had gone on autopilot and time was just passing me by. This was a sign for me to take that leap and give this daydream a shot!

Now, I no longer have to ask permission to go spend holidays with family or to go on vacation, or have to miss major family life events. I can control my own schedule and actually appreciate, enjoy, and BE in the moments of my life. I’ve heard many times that in order to have a successful business, you will need to work 24/7, but I disagree. To me, having a successful business is being able to properly manage your time and defend your personal/family time. I’ve heard others in the industry insinuate that you won’t be successful if you don’t “hustle” and book photo shoots on weekends. While I will book on weekends, it is rare and only if it’s an absolutely necessity for a client. I do not guarantee that I will always be available on a given weekend as that is my devoted time for my family and self. This helps to keep me from reaching burn-out and keeps me loving what I do for my clients!

I hope this trend of thought is something I can influence in others as it is all too important and often ignored. Despite the risk of giving up financial stability and security for a better work-life balance, I stand here today, 18 months later, and can truly say I don’t regret my decision.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Just for a little background insight, one of the main reasons I chose to leave my military career and venture out on my own was due to a strong pull toward a different purpose. I craved an outlet for my creativity and perfectionism to design, build, manage and grow something of my own. Before I came across the idea of a real estate photography business, I knew that no matter what I did when I got out, I wanted to run my own business. I did not envision the conventional nine to five rat race of the corporate world. Originally, I considered becoming a Real Estate Agent and started studying for my license. I then came across the Real Estate Photography profession, which I previously never knew was a thing. That’s when it hit me – this is my calling! It was like everything suddenly clicked and it made so much sense! Photography has always been a well-supported passion of mine since childhood. However, I knew I still wanted to put myself within the real estate world as for years now I’ve been studying real estate investing and have goals of leaning more into that in the near future. So, Texas Takes Real Estate Photography allows me that creative outlet while satisfying that desire for the influence of real estate. I truly love the ability of capturing the beauty of a space through a photograph that makes you think, “wow!” An image allows us to indefinitely appreciate and admire what we don’t always see through our own eyes when physically there.

For me, the most important aspects of success behind my business and brand are providing excellent service and products, while forging strong professional relationships with my clients that emulate reliability and trust. As a two-time homebuyer and soon-to-be real estate investor, I know first impressions are everything. Photos and videos are the first things potential homebuyers will see – and I want to make a strong and solid first impression. My goal is to establish myself as a friendly and familiar face that my clients can rely on and look forward to working with in the future. I want my clients to see me as a valuable member of their team with a structured and organized business, and to be their go-to photographer. The majority of my clients are Realtors, and I like to say their success is my success. I want to ensure they are able to maximize their time and energy focusing on their profession (showing and selling properties) while I take care of producing quality media that they need to assist them in getting to the closing table.

Growth is also extremely important to me with my brand because, as a perfectionist, I have high standards for myself and my work. I believe my clients deserve quality when hiring a professional. Therefore, I commit myself to continued learning to improve my creative ability and technical know-how so I can deliver as expected each and every time. Growth and adaptation are also important in real estate media as digital trends continuously change, especially with social media. I want to ensure I am able to progress with the trends of marketing with digital media. For example, I started offering Matterport 3D Tours to my services to allow my clients to offer the full walk-through showing experience. Additionally, I am currently working toward adding walk-through video tours in social media reel format. As the go-to photographer, I want to ensure that I can rise to the challenge, while pushing the creative boundary.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite place to take friends and family not from this area is The Fort Worth Stockyards. I would want them to experience the culture of DFW, and I think it should start there. I would ensure they see the daily cattle drive, dance at Billy Bob’s, maybe catch a rodeo, and eat some BBQ or steak! And knowing my best friend Mallory, we would definitely have to arrange a visit to a local winery or two. So, I think there’s no better place than Grapevine! I personally have not yet explored the Bishop Arts District, so we certainly would check out all the great establishments there. And lastly, with Dallas being such a big sports hub, we would ideally at least catch a Rangers game at Globe Life Field.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My first line of support has been my husband, Andrew. I would not have had the courage to take such a risk in starting my own business without him. He has been my encouragement and sounding board throughout this process. Also, the person I am today is nothing like who I was before the military. I have my time in service to appreciate for the leadership, confidence and management skillset I obtained. I would also like to give a shoutout to Bailey and Chelsea of the Double Take Real Estate Group (Granbury, TX) for providing me such a great source of inspiration and giving me opportunities to start my real estate photography and videography portfolio. And lastly, I want to recognize all my former clients from the Central Texas area where Texas Takes Real Estate Photography started. I would not have been able to do what I love and continue to improve without your support.

Website: https://texastakesrephoto.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/texastakesrephoto/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/kara-avelino

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/texastakesrephoto

Yelp: https://yelp.to/Lv98u1kC9ub

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeOJTTGbcuE1gmPGKNCM3kg